Electrically-heated tool.



W. e. CLARK.

ELEOTRIUALLY HEATED TOOL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28, 1909.

961,103. I a Patented June 14,1910.

. a I v io 1J yl I -10 UNITED s'rarns PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER c. G ana, or new 310121, N. Y., Asexenon TOpPARKELR-CLABK .ELEG'IBIG contraNY, or NEW YQBK,N. Y., A qQBPoBATIoN or NEW JERSEY.

anscmaxcaurnsarnn rooL.

s ecificatio 6: Letters talent Pat t d June 14,, 19

pplication filed. June as, 1909. Serial No. 504,928.

. To all' whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER G. CLARK, of

' the city, county, and Stateof New York,

have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electrically'Heated Tools, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact de- Sciftion y invention. relates to improvements in electrically heated tools, and in the drawing I have shown the application of my. invention to a soldering iron, but the principle is applicable to other forms of tools or devices which are internally heated;

Theohject of my invention is to reduce a ..-simple tool which can be very elficiently Tandghighly heated, and in which the radiajiOI ITI'QIH the heating element or resistor is Wholly utilized in imparting heat to that portion of the tool which is to be used.

.A further object of the invention is to produce a device in which the heating eleout is easily renewable'as well as inexpene, and further and especially to produce a 'd iice in which the heating element is so arranged that the article can be made very small desired. This is important because in"mai1'y electrically heated articles the heating elem at or elements are so arranged that the. arti ice are very bulky. This is especially true of a soldering iron, and this article where heated in the old fashioned way by inserting it in a coal fire, is necessarily very bulky because in such case the mass of the tool must be sufficient to retain the heatfor a considerable period or else the tool'is very ineliicient. \Vith my device, however, that is with my heating appliance, the article can holnade'as small as desired, and it can 'he used in a way to do a much nicer job than can be done by the use of the old-fashimicd or other bulky form of iron.

My invention also contemplates Misuse of.

to be readily inserted in or removed. turn the tool to be heated.

l-lcferenoe is to be had to the accompanying drawings 'fbrmi'ng a part of this specification, in which similar reference characters indicateoorrcspondingpartsin all the views. Figure 1 is a'longitadmal section of .a

soldering iron showing my improvements. Fig. 2 1s a cross section on the line 2-.2 of

Fig. 1, and Fi 3 is a cross section on the 'usual, but this may be any tool whatever.

It is hollow and is heated by a .resister or heating element 11 which is in filament form,

and-has its terminals 12 secured in an insulating block 13, preferably near one end of the tool. As shown in the drawing, the heating element is in U shape, but this shape has nothing to do with the structure and it can be given any desired 'form, the only thing necessary being to arrange it so that contact can be efficiently made with the ele'- ment. The only material that I have found to be entirely satisfactory as an. internal resister or heater capable of standing a very high temperature, is a combination of silicon and carbon which is brought down by the decomposition of suitable gases. In this case I do not limit myself to the use of the particular resister described, but'as stated, this is the only oneI know which is entirely satisfactory.

The block 13 can be of any suitable insulating material which will withstand a high heat, and it is preferably screw threaded as shown at l tinto the head of the sheath 15 which covers the resister 11 and protects it from la'eakage, so Jtliatit can be shipped ready to insert in a soldering iron or other tool to be heated. This sheath shohld be of conducting material, and nickel well adapted for the purpose. It 'isobvions that the toolcan be heated as well without-tho intervention of this sheath, but the sheath serves to protect the resisterll and enables it to he very readily applied Without danger of. breakage-to the soldering. iron or other: I

tool.

'Ih this connection I wish .it understood that any desired number of these elc' ,1

ments or resistors 11.can be used in the tool to be heated.

The insulating block 13 abhts with a 'sim'i lar block 16 which forms a' part of the base;

or socket portion of the tool, and which a screws into'the socket 17 formed on the end of the. handle ;17"*.. The socket 17 is held within a similarly shaped cap 18 which is longer, however, than the socket and longer,

than the plug 16. and. which iswdhccntric with an outer cap 19-the-latter being lapped handle can of course be changed indefinitely.

and screw threaded at its lower end as shown 1 serted in a tool to heat the latter; the sheath at 21, While the former, that is the part 18 is externally screw threaded,'and the reduced screw threaded upper end of the iron 10 screws between the two parts 18 and 19 as shown at 20 and 21 in Fig. 1. It will thus be seen that a socket portion is formed in the end of the handle 17 to which the tool can be easily applied. I

The block or plug 16 has contact posts 23 extending through it and up into the handle 17, andthese posts extend loosely into corresponding holes in the plug or block 13. The posts '23 connect with suitable leadingin wires cauda through which the electric current is supplied, and the terminals 12 of the resister 11 have contact springs 24: which extend into the post holes and make-contact with the posts 23, so that the current enters through the wire a, one of the contact posts 23, the spring'24, the resister 11, a second spring 24,. the second c'ontact post'23, and the wire a out. i

The resister which I use withstands heat in the open air, up to about I700 deg. (I, and so it is not necessary to exhaust the inner part of the tool, and moreover the high internal heat is radiated so that all the beetle practically utilized; The particular connection between the outer end of the tool and its without'changing the principle of the invention, though I have shown a practical.

scheme for connecting the current and the tool handle to the tool itself, and as already stated, the configuration of the L101 and the use to which it is put, is also immaterial, but I do claim specifically the soldering iron shown, and generally the specific heating means for similar tools.

Where it is desired to use the heating unit for a purpose other than a soldering iron, a difi'erent outer casing may be substituted---. for example, if us'ed'as a Water heater, the whole resistor and insulation is made water tight and placed in the water to-he heated. If used inaflat-iron, the resistor unit can be mounted in sucha way as to be inserted in the fiat-iron. I

Where the heating unit and sheath are inshould be for the greater part 0 its surface in actual contact with the body of the tool,

as any air gap is thus eliminated and eli'n,

cient heating obtained.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent J 1. In a tool of the kind described, a heat ing unit in filament form, a sheath of heat conducting material inclosing the heating unit, said sheath being in actual contact for the greater part of its surface with the tool, insulating material closing one end of the sheath and supporting the heating unit, and electric connections for the heating unit.

2. An electrically heated tool comprising a hollow or chambered head, a sheath of heat conducting material fitting within the head and generally in contact with the head, insulating material held in one end of the sheath, a heating unit in nlament form within said sheath and supported in the insulating mate rial, and electrical connections for the heat ing unit. I 3. An electrically heated tool comprising connections for the filament.

' 5. In a device of the kind described, a protective sheath which is a good conductor of heat, a heatingunit in filament form which glows in the air on the passage of an electric current tllrough it, said filament exteii'ding into the sheath, and electrical connections for the filament.

WALTER (1.QLARK'. Vvitnesses:

IVARREN B. Hmonmson, FRANK L'. Sronns. 

